Lord, Teach Me How To Pray...Scripture

We are encouraged to pray Scripture over our lives. Claim Scripture over our family, bathe our babies in Scripture, to believe Scripture for our healing, to stand on Scripture for our marriage...

But there are 1,189 chapters in the Bible. These chapters containing 31,103 verses.

Hello.

This exhortation to pray Scripture can leave us feeling incompetent. Inferior. Defeated.

And add to that, I have false assumptions. I assume that "really good" Christians intuitavely know the right Scripture to pray. An anointed Word from Heaven sits on the tip of their tongues waiting to slay the next stronghold that rises against them. I assume that Spiritual giants spend all of their free time memorizing Epistles and thumbing through Strong's Concordance.

I am watching to see that my Word is fulfilled. Jeremiah 1:12

And then there's me. A thirty-something mother of three highly energetic boys who has roughly one hour in the mornings to pray, read, journal, worship and squeeze in a blog.

Strong's Concordance doesn't always make it to the table.

The reality is, everyone starts somewhere.

In my five weeks away, the Lord led me to pray. I mean really pray for my people...Brent, my boys, Mamaw, friends, our home, our health, our future, our safety.

And Pray His Word.

His instruction to me very clear. Over each situation. Pray His Word.

So one morning, I sat over an open Bible and a blank journal page.

Bullet point. Brent
Bullet point. Grant
Bullet point. Ethan
Bullet point. Luke
Bullet point. Mamaw
Bullet point. Budget
Bullet point. Ministry

Bullet point.....

I had written out my list...now for the Scripture.

31,103 verses staring back at me.

Where do I start?

I have to believe that I am not the only one who feels overwhelmed by God's Word sometimes.

Do you feel "all thumbs" when thumbing through the Bible, too?

This week, I though we could share together. Although the Lord can speak to us in numerous ways, there are four tools the Lord often uses to guide me through His Word. I will share two today. And two next time.

In the meantime, I hope you'll comment and share tools you use to navigate through Scripture.

1. Pray before you pray. This sounds redundant, doesn't it?

But James instructs us, If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all. (James 1:5) No one knows the Word better than the Author Himself. He will speak to us when we ask. We hear His voice. So let us ask Him first. He might just cut to the chase and tell you what to pray. I don't want to pray my agenda for my family, I want to pray His. I want His will for my family. This process must start with prayer.

2. Key Words. My prayer time BFF, without a doubt, is the concordance in the back of my Bible.

For example, when I asked Lord, "What am I praying over Brent?" the Lord gave me a word... Favor. OK...so I am praying for Brent to have favor. I then flipped and found the word favor in my concordance. Bingo. Two Scriptures immediately grabbed my attention. I turned to them, studied, and then wrote them beside Brent's bullet point. I have been praying them ever since. Thank you, Lord!

Two more to come...

Your turn.